Brothers Await Big Decisions

December 25, 2007|By DAVID TEEL, dteel@dailypress.com - 247-4636

The Mayo brothers of Hampton face defining football career choices early in 2008.

Jerod Mayo, a junior linebacker at the University of Tennessee, is considering an early entry into the NFL draft. Derek Mayo, a senior linebacker at Kecoughtan High, is weighing college scholarship offers.

Derek said James Madison became his top choice when he visited the Harrisonburg campus earlier this month. But he is scheduled to tour the University of Richmond on Jan. 11.

The Dukes and Spiders are Colonial Athletic Association rivals, and both made the NCAA playoffs this season. JMU lost at eventual national champion Appalachian State in the first round; Richmond lost at Appalachian State in the semifinals.

The national signing date for high school prospects is Feb. 6.

The deadline for college underclassmen to declare for the NFL draft is Jan. 15. Jerod recently submitted paperwork to an NFL advisory committee that projects in which round a player might be selected.

"I'm real neutral right now," Jerod told the Knoxville News-Sentinel. "I love Tennessee, I love being here. I'm just going to get my grade back and talk to my family and see what I'm going to do at the end of the season."

Mayo recently earned a degree in sports management and first-team all-Southeastern Conference honors. He led the SEC with 127 tackles, including 19 in a four-overtime victory against Kentucky that lifted the Volunteers into the SEC championship game.

Tennessee lost the title game to LSU and concludes its season Jan. 1 in the Outback Bowl against Wisconsin.

Mayo switched positions this season, from outside to middle linebacker.

"Jerod Mayo played unbelievably down the stretch," Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer told the Knoxville paper. "It seemed like he made every tackle there for a while. He's a heck of a player."